Interview of Eero Hirvonen in Lahti 8 January 2017
What kind of person is Eero Hirvonen? Check out this interview so you know.
How does it feel now after a successful weekend, especially after your first podium place? Would you have believed this when the season started?
Of course it feels great after a successful weekend; podium place is a really big thing to me. When the season started I couldn’t have believed in such good performances.
When did you start Nordic combined and why just it?
I started ski jumping at the age of 12, before that I had already been skiing in competitions. As a kid I tried also many other sports but I liked Nordic combined the most. I wanted to start ski jumping when I had watched ski jumping and Nordic combined on TV.
Head coach Kukkonen is also your personal coach, isn’t he? Since when?
Yes Petter is also my personal coach. When I was 14 years old and made it to the Nordic combined Lidl Group, Petter was at that time the coach of the junior team. Practically he has been coaching me since then.
How was the stress fracture in your leg noticed and how did it bother you? Is everything now ok?
The leg started aching during the world cup weekend in Lillehammer and after that a preliminary stage of stress fracture was noticed at the MRI. Now the leg is OK.
You have had also earlier injuries, what kind of? I read somewhere that because of them you were even thinking of finishing. Is it true?
Earlier I often was ill and because of that ski training was really difficult. At that time I was thinking of changing to ski jumping but this was however already some years ago.
Was this weekend in Lahti the highlight of your career so far? If not, what was? And what has been the biggest disappointment of your career?
Yes, probably this weekend in Lahti was the highlight of my career so far. It’s difficult to say the biggest disappointment.
Is Lahti your favourite hill/place to compete? You have often done well here.
I do like Lahti as a place to compete but it’s probably not my favourite. I like many places but I would say that the Ruka hill is my favourite.
Has the success of this season surprised you and what’s the reason for this improvement of results?
I knew that this season good results could be possible but in spite of that such good results have been a surprise. The biggest reason for such a big improvement is successful training being healthy.
Are you fully focusing on sports or do you study something?
At the moment I’m fully focusing on sports. Last spring I graduated from upper secondary school and at the moment I’m not studying anything.
What are your goals for this season and have they changed with the success?
My goal is to continue good performances. After the start of the season the goals have of course changed a bit. Now it’s no more success just to get world cup points.
Who is your idol?
Hannu Manninen.
Which do you like more, jumping or skiing? Which one are you training more?
Difficult to say, some days I like jumping more and some other days skiing. Regarding the amount, I’m training skiing more.
How many hours per day/week are you training?
There are big differences between different weeks; there are weeks with lighter and harder training.
What are your strengths as an athlete?
Probably persistence and perseverance.
Your hobbies are hunting and fishing. What do you hunt?
I hunt all kinds of small game animals.
What do you think of Hannu’s comeback and what kind of effect does it have on the rest of the team?
Hannu’s comeback is a great thing and it surely has a positive effect on the whole team.
Text and photo: Tuija Hankkila
